Oceania Cruises Says "Bon Appétit!"

by Janice Wald Henderson | 05.04.12

Set sail on two fine food and wine voyages onboard the upcoming Riviera and Marina.

Foodies, mark your calendars for October. Oceania Cruises is hosting
two 10-day "Bon Appétit Wine & Food Festivals" onboard 1,250-passenger
sister ships, Riviera and Marina, in Europe this fall. And while star
chefs mugging onboard cruise ships are now a dime a dozen, these
chefs, and these events, are different.

For one, they're occurring on a cruise line obsessed with quality
food. So much so, it delivers luxury line cuisine at upper-premium
prices. And the guest chefs are not the usual superstars, the jaded
ones who are Food Network regulars, hawking pots and pans. Rather,
they are two chefs who are extraordinarily talented and eager to share
their knowledge and passion. They are "chefs' chefs," meaning they
are respected and admired by their peers, the way home cooks admire
the television stars.

Chef Lewandowski is known for his earthy yet elegant takes on modern
American cuisine. He will host several cooking demonstrations
throughout his sailing. And he will also be a guest instructor at the
Bon Appétit Culinary Center, the much-admired hands-on cooking school
(24 fully equipped work stations) onboard Riviera (and Marina). In
addition, Lewandowski will lead "Culinary Discovery Tours" to local
markets in select ports.

Lewandowski should have some terrific markets to tour with cruisers.
The Riviera, launching this May, is sailing to Kusadasi, Turkey
(Ephesus), Taormina, Sicily and Marseille, France, to name a few
stops. These ports are food-centric, with impeccable seafood and
produce.

This Manhattan chef has quite the famous bosses. Tribeca Grill is
owned by actor Robert De Niro and restaurateur Drew Nieporent. I know
Nieporent and he only hires top talent. Nieporent won the James Beard
Award (the Oscars of the culinary world) for "Outstanding
Restaurateur" in 2009. He has had unparalleled restaurant success
stories in the tough gastronomic landscape of New York City.

Lewandowski polished his craft at Manhattan's Gotham Bar & Grill and
also, with Ritz-Carlton. At downtown's Tribeca Grill, his menu
includes dishes like warm asparagus salad with morels (prized wild
mushrooms) and fig essence; and roasted Alaskan halibut with black
olive tapenade, ratatouille (French mélange of vegetables including
eggplant, tomato and zucchini) and artichoke mousse. Sides, like
chanterelles (golden-hued wild mushrooms), foie gras and potato puree,
can be decadent fun. But really, what Lewandowski is about is
market-driven cooking. And on this cruise, with markets in abundance,
he is sure to deliver.

Chef Ken Oringer is not a household name, but he should be. Oringer
won the James Beard Award for "Best Chef Northeast" in 2001. (He was
nominated three times prior.) Food Network fans should remember that
he won "Iron Chef America," battling Chef Cat Cora (ironically, the
godmother for the Riviera inaugural) in 2008.

I became aware of Oringer's talents when he opened Clio in Boston in
1997. Everyone, including the worst critics - star chefs - was abuzz
over Oringer's distinctive creations. The way he unexpectedly paired
ingredients. His restless roaming of the world for ingredients. His
possession of impeccable classic French technique.

Oringer has several successful restaurants in Boston, including Uni in
Clio's lounge. Uni is a sashimi bar featuring seafood from both
Tokyo's famed Tskiji market and local fisherman. His other venues
include Toro, a Barcelona-inspired tapas restaurant, and Coppa, an
Italian-style enoteca (wine bar).

Listen to sample dishes Oringer offers at Cleo and you will fall under
his spell. Cassolette (little casserole) of sea urchin and lobster
with parsnip milk, crispy shallots and candied lemon. Or sunflower
seed "risotto," with New Zealand spinach, Quebec sunflower oil and
candied mace. Veal scaloppini with chamomile, lacquered baby turnips
and orchid root jus.

If there is any chef I'd love to learn from, it would be Ken Oringer.
He is sailing on Marina's "Temples & Palaces" voyage on October 22,
2002, from Athens to Istanbul, including calls in Israel. Expect
Oringer to host cooking demonstrations, market tours and serve as
guest instructor in the Bon Appétit Culinary Center. For more
information, visit oceaniacruises.com.